So yeah, I read this the other day and did not know where to put it. With Tak's blessing, I'm starting yet another serial thread about business news.
Target: 17,600 jobs at risk as retailer leaves Canada
Business News I - Why? Why not.
- Thread starter bhsup
- Start date
So yeah, I read this the other day and did not know where to put it. With Tak's blessing, I'm starting yet another serial thread about business news.
Target: 17,600 jobs at risk as retailer leaves Canada
Good, now we need to figure out how to make Walmart go away.
Target also had a miserable website - not only could you not shop online, you couldn't even view what items they carried. The random empty shelves they always had was probably related to their awful IT backend.
Target also had a miserable website - not only could you not shop online, you couldn't even view what items they carried. The random empty shelves they always had was probably related to their awful IT backend.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
I don't think Target did any sort of market research when setting up shop in Canada.
I've been to Target in the U.S.. I know what a Target store is like.
So I went into the one that opened here - a couple weeks after it did. The selection was abysmal and the prices were not competitive at all. So I never went back - and I guess many other people didn't either. I don't get how they thought they'd be successful without making any attempts to be competitive with all the other options we have up here.
I've been to Target in the U.S.. I know what a Target store is like.
So I went into the one that opened here - a couple weeks after it did. The selection was abysmal and the prices were not competitive at all. So I never went back - and I guess many other people didn't either. I don't get how they thought they'd be successful without making any attempts to be competitive with all the other options we have up here.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
I'm not really sure, but from what I saw maybe they had crappier selection? Maybe the same? Hard to say, I wasn't a Zellers regular.
I think another problem was that people expected Target. But then .. well, it wasn't Target - it was a store with a crappier selection and crappier prices. So I think the combination of people expecting Target & good prices and not getting that - and the crappy selection is what did them in.
Seriously, if they had re-branded as "Blorg's", or whatever, wouldn't have made people think that they were going to be walking into a Target. The subpar selection and prices wouldn't have helped - but at least their potential customers wouldn't have had an expectations walking into the store. And when you have high expectations and they get ruined - you don't really want to go back to a place like that.
Target Canada is an interesting person - full of free market pride, yet using the government to limit liability and to shirk the financial commitments it made in free market dealings.
No, they didn't buy Zellers, they only took over store leases, they didn't take over staff, inventory management systems, supplier deals, etc.
HBC still has the rights to Zellers, and still run two stores for liquidation of goods from their other departments stores.
Evie
Pronounced like Eevee
Target's entire strategy was apparently "Let's be Zellers without the brand recognition and the convenient downtown locations!"
Given that brand recognition and the fact that they were one of the few big cheap-ish retailer that still ran downtown locations here adn there were the only two edges Zellers had over Wal-Mart (while Wal-Mart had better prices and selection).
They epically FUBAR'd their market entry. They deserved to run away with their tails between their legs as they're doing now.
The only downside of this is that here in Ottawa the choice of where to go to get cheap-ish goods has basically been reduced to "Wal-Mart" or "The other Wal-Mart".
(Oh, and Giant Tiger, I guess).
Given that brand recognition and the fact that they were one of the few big cheap-ish retailer that still ran downtown locations here adn there were the only two edges Zellers had over Wal-Mart (while Wal-Mart had better prices and selection).
They epically FUBAR'd their market entry. They deserved to run away with their tails between their legs as they're doing now.
The only downside of this is that here in Ottawa the choice of where to go to get cheap-ish goods has basically been reduced to "Wal-Mart" or "The other Wal-Mart".
(Oh, and Giant Tiger, I guess).
Evie
Pronounced like Eevee
Well, here in Ottawa there was one at Sparks and O'Connor, literally one block from Parliament. Sadly Target decided they didn't want it. I miss that Zellers, it was useful and convenient.
(We're also one of the few places that's retained an actual Zellers as a clearance outlet...I keep meaning to drop there at some point)
(We're also one of the few places that's retained an actual Zellers as a clearance outlet...I keep meaning to drop there at some point)
Evie
Pronounced like Eevee
Yes. Yes, they do (they're part of HBC).
In other news, Sears, one of the few remaining big chain stores (and a struggling one), have announced that they would be extending their Sears employee discounts for 16 weeks to all victims of the Big Runaway (eg, Target employees).
They've also encouraged such employees to apply for jobs and whatnot at Sears.
Does this count as a PR move, salting the wound, or both?
In other news, Sears, one of the few remaining big chain stores (and a struggling one), have announced that they would be extending their Sears employee discounts for 16 weeks to all victims of the Big Runaway (eg, Target employees).
They've also encouraged such employees to apply for jobs and whatnot at Sears.
Does this count as a PR move, salting the wound, or both?
